


Old Friends and Metal Gear

by MeltyRum



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Dialogue, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltyRum/pseuds/MeltyRum
Summary: A couple of old friends take the time to catch up.
Kudos: 3
Collections: Boku no Hero Academia x Persona





	Old Friends and Metal Gear

“ _That’s_ what you brought me here for?” asked Akihiko, pulling the scarf from around his neck. He considered Mitsuru’s proposal with a serious look on his face, pausing to think it over—despite already having made his decision.

“I know what you’re going to say,” he started, getting to his feet as he stared at Mitsuru across her luxuriously and imposingly large wooden desk. “But if it’s not something I can show by my own strength, I’m not really interested.”

Mitsuru nodded, gracefully suppressing a sigh while still allowing him to note the disappointment on her face. “Yes, I thought you might say something like that. In any case, I suppose wearing the Gear may not actually do you any good, considering your ability.”

“And even if I did your ad, it’s not like I’d be using it in the field. If you’re going to give it to cops and security corporations, have an ex-detective show it off, or something.”

“That makes sense,” she conceded. “But no one has come to mind just yet. I’ll have some people look into it.”

Akihiko rubbed his jaw. “About that: I’m a little surprised _you_ came to me with this, Mitsuru. Would’ve expected someone from sales or marketing to talk about it… not the CEO herself. Don’t you have better things to do?” he asked, smiling for the first time since he’d entered her office, apparently sensing that business negotiations were concluded.

“That’s fair. Normally that would have been the case; I just thought it would be nice to see you, Akihiko.” She returned his smile smoothly.

He blinked, impressed at the matter-of-fact way she could say something like that; he certainly didn’t dislike it. “So that’s how it is,” he chuckled, after a moment. “I guess it really has been a while—and we’re both busier than we’ve ever been, I’m sure.”

He sat back down, accepting this chance for the two of them to catch up.

“You’re not wrong. It’s been a busy year for the Kirijo group; there are quite a few projects coming up, and our technical leads are certainly… ambitious.” She looked off to the side uncertainly, distracted—albeit only for a moment. “I suppose most of it won’t interest you, but I hope you’ll keep an eye on our developments, regardless.”

“Spoken like a real businesswoman,” he remarked with a smirk. “At some point, we should really chat somewhere _besides_ your office, though. Nice as it is, it doesn’t really get one in the mood for socializing, does it?”

“Maybe not,” admitted Mitsuru. “Perhaps we’ll get a drink sometime, then; I’m sharing one with a former classmate this evening. I doubt she would mind so much if you joined us—and to tell the truth, she is rather intimidating, which makes it pretty difficult for me to make small-talk for very long.”

“No, I guess you’ve _never_ been good at that,” he replied, smiling thinly. “I’m a little busy this evening—movie stuff—but tell me: who are you meeting? Someone I know?”

“I don’t believe so; her name is Yukiko Shirato.” She paused, glancing sideways to where a promotional poster for the Gear was hanging. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t heard her name, but—then again—perhaps you have. Her business is a bit more legally dubious than I’m used to, so our relationship is purely… a friendly one. The Kirijo Group is not affiliated with her in any way, I mean, so it’s just a matter of catching up with my senpai.

“But putting that aside,” she continued, noting the lack of recognition on Akihiko’s face. “What’s this about a movie? Don’t tell me you’ve left the hero industry.”

He chuckled. “Not a chance. But yeah, the new Featherman movie! No surprise you haven’t been following it, but a few weeks ago I was helping promote it over in the US, where it was filmed. It’ll be my acting debut… anyway, there’s some kind of event I’m supposed to attend tonight.”

Mitsuru looked almost like someone had just hit her. “Er… no, I don’t think I’ve heard about any of this. Sorry—did you mean to say you’re starring in it? I suppose that’s the only situation where promoting a film would make sense… and in the States, no less?”

“You got it.” His smile betrayed a hint of pride. “Might be my last time in a film, but it was pretty fun. Not that different from commercials and the like. Speaking of that, I guess this is where I’m supposed to tell you to come see it.” He laughed. “It’s called _Neo Phoenix Ranger Featherman R: Future Present Heroes_. I’m playing Feather Swan from another timeline; had to round up the regular cast for some kind of threat in New York and… well, I guess you should probably just see it one day.”

“I’ll put it on the calendar,” she smiled, trying to hide her amusement. “How was America, then?”

Akihiko sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Well… didn’t have a lot of time for sightseeing, unfortunately. Hung out with a bunch of the rangers while I was there, though—or the people who play them, I mean. I think you would like Takeba-san: she reminded me a lot of you, actually… just something about the way she thinks, I guess; it’s not like she’s running a business, and I wouldn’t call you much of an actress.”

“Takeba… the hero, right? Pink Argus.” Mitsuru reflected silently for a moment, realizing she knew more about Yukari’s career than she first realized. “I knew _she_ was an actress. I remember hearing when she changed her hero name to match her television role. It was actually us who developed the functional replicas for her suit and bow,” she added guiltily, as though ashamed that her business had its fingers in so many pies.

Hesmiled, crossing one leg over the other. “Yes, she mentioned something like that. If it makes you feel better, she doesn’t use that suit for filming—they’ve got a costume department for that. Either way, pretty weird for a hero to attach their heroic identity to a fictional role.”

“I agree; it seems a little dangerous. If the show ever drops her, I imagine she would have to change her hero name again—for legal reasons and all that.” She shrugged.

“Maybe, but her position might be more secure than you’d think. The current group seems to be pretty popular; did you know Pink—Feather Argus—is the leader now?”

Mitsuru blinked. “What? It’s usually Red, isn’t it?”

Akihiko looked amused. “Heh, not this time. Guess a lot’s changed over the years—can’t say I’ve kept up with the show since I was a kid, after all. Seems like the fan scene is still pretty vibrant, though.”

“I’m a little surprised,” said Mitsuru, brushing back a lock of hair. “It amazes me that ‘fake’ hero stories still manage to be popular when we have so many real heroes for people to sink their interest into.”

“Maybe,” Akihiko started, looking thoughtful. “But after having been a hero both in real life _and_ on the screen, I think I get it. Being a fan of real heroes is well and fine, but they—we, I mean—are also people who have to deal with _real_ threats; it makes sense that would be less fun than a television show. I mean, even when heroes are successful, people get hurt; fact of life, you know? Having fictional heroes who provide some escapism is probably a good thing—hell, it was even kind of refreshing to be fighting a fictitious menace, you know?”

She stared back at him, a little taken aback to hear him speak so seriously. “Well, then,” she began, clearly uncertain where to start responding. “If that’s how you feel about it, I certainly hope it made for a nice vacation away from your usual work, Akihiko.”

He laughed. “Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad to be back. Acting is… kind of tedious, to be honest. You have to do everything a bunch of times over until the director is happy. Hero work is a bit more proactive. But adaptive, too. And, well…”

“And fighting in the face of real danger is a bit more thrilling?” guessed Mitsuru, smiling thinly.

“Well, yeah,” he confessed, a satisfied smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Looks like you still understand me pretty well, Mitsuru.”

“I’d like to think so. You don’t seem like the kind of person who changes much—no offense.”

“Look who’s talking!” He smirked, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward in his seat. “But that’s enough about me, I think. I haven’t paid all that much attention to the news since I’ve been overseas. Anything big that I might have missed?”

Mitsuru instinctively looked down at the calendar stretching across her desk, forgetting momentarily that only things of import to the Kirijo Group found their way there. She tried her best to forget all of it—for the duration of this conversation, at least.

Allowing a brief sigh, she sat back and looked up at the ceiling. “Let me see. Even abroad, I’m sure someone in your position would have heard about All Might’s retirement, either way—along with all the Villain activity that’s come with it, not to mention crime of another nature.” She sighed out of her nostrils, looking a bit distracted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you started to hear a bit more news about the yakuza in the next few months. There were some… shifts in management that were brought to my attention. I could be paranoid, however,” she looked again to the poster on her wall, her eyes following the joints of the metal; she couldn’t help picturing a coliseum.

Akihiko nodded as he listened, watching her closely and following her gaze to the wall. “Yeah, I’m not sure there’s anyone who doesn’t know about All Might. Yakuza I haven’t heard about, but that’s usually a job for the police. That said, if the pot’s getting stirred up a bit, I wouldn’t be surprised if we catch more grunts doing something stupid.”

Mitsuru gave him an absentminded grunt of acknowledgment. “The political world has been shifting, as well, but I’m uncertain how much that will interest you. Shido’s been popular in the news lately—and his protege to some extent, what with the murder of his partner’s… adoptive sister,” she said uncertainly. “But I suppose that’s pretty small news.”

“Well, you don’t have to put it like that,” reprimanded Akihiko. “People might die every day, but a student getting killed out of the blue is still pretty crazy.”

“You’re precisely right, of course,” she agreed, crossing her arms guiltily. “I didn’t mean to sound callous. There’s just… there’s a lot happening these days, so—”

“So you can’t afford to be sympathetic to all of it? Yeah. I get it—trust me. Wasn’t passing judgment, or anything.” He settled deeper into his seat, feeling a little heavier all of a sudden. “Well, I’ll grant you that it’s not my area of expertise, but on the subject of politics: you’re not too many steps away from running for an office, yourself. You ever think about it?”

She tried to ignore the grim smile on his face, sensing a challenge. “It’s not something I’ve thought much about. You can imagine that I have my hands rather full with the activities of the company; the demands on my leadership are numerous and of significant magnitude. But…” she trailed off, smiling mischievously. “This is completely hypothetical, but—since you’re asking—does this mean I can count on your vote?”

“Yeah, right,” he laughed. “I’m not sure the country’s ready for you, Mitsuru; your brand of ruthlessness might just be a little too much.”

She chuckled in return. “Well, whether that’s true or not, I’m sure you won’t have to worry about that for another decade or two. This is an important time for the Kirijo Group, after all. On that note, Yamagishi-san’s first android is now attending UA and doesn’t appear to be causing problems—I suppose you may have already heard this; if you wanted some _good_ news, though, then that might be all I have.”

“Did you say her _first_ android?”

“Well—I can’t say if Yamagishi is doing her own research these days, but it would be foolish of us not to try and follow up on the prototype. We have several projects currently in development, but I suppose I shouldn’t say too much.” She glanced briefly to one of the drawers at her desk. “Perhaps one day we can make you a sparring partner… or a girlfriend.”

“Yikes. I don’t know if that’s for me. Anyway, how would _you_ know that I don’t have a girlfriend?” he asked, laughing.

“Well, I doubt you’d be able to hide it from the news—no more easily than I could, anyway.” She paused, sighing with slight exasperation. “I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before the news outlets begin speculating about my relationship with Shirato-san. You should be careful, Akihiko—soon they’ll start spinning wild theories about how you only have eyes for protein.”

“Hey, hey—I’m not all-protein-all-the-time, you know!” He answered with some exasperation of his own. “That commercial was so long ago—I’m not even sure why that protein joke took off the way it did; seems like people talk to me about protein wherever I go. But… I guess it’s not all bad. I did get a lifetime supply from that job,” he reminisced, a fond smirk gracing his features.

“Which means you _are_ using it, no?” she laughed. “But I can understand. It can be difficult to shake off a reputation once you have one.”

“Oh? Anything you need to get off your chest, ‘Kirijo-san’?” asked Akihiko, smiling.

She ignored him, pointedly looking to the clock on her wall. “It’s already that time… I’m sorry to say it, but I’ll have to dismiss you soon, Akihiko.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d be busy sooner or later.” He smiled, gathering his things and rising to his feet.

Mitsuru followed suit, taking her laptop under her arm as she rose. “You’re sure I can’t convince you to wear the Gear?” she asked, though there was no hope in her voice.

He started toward the door, chuckling. “Yeah, I don’t think so. Just not my style. If someone comes to mind, though, I’ll let you know about them. And—hey—I was serious before: we should talk outside your office sometime. You’ve got my number, so I’m leaving the ball in your court, got it?”

“I understand,” she said, smiling. “I’ll be in touch before long. Perhaps we’ll go see your movie together?”

“That’s probably embarrassing, but… sounds fun. See you, Mitsuru.” He grinned, giving her a friendly wave as they left her office and parted ways.


End file.
